State Of Florida Vs Robert Erik Denney

Running head: ROBERT ERIK DENNEY MURDER CASE 1

The State of Florida vs. Robert Erik Denney (Murder) 1998, Jacksonville, FL

Student’s Name

Institution

ROBERT ERIK DENNEY MURDER CASE 2

The State of Florida vs. Robert Erik Denney (Murder) 1998, Jacksonville, FL

Overview

Mr. Robert Erik Denney was the defendant in the case for the murder of Corey Parker on

the 26

of November 1998 that took place in Jacksonville Beach FL. Ms. Parker a 25-year-old

student and waitress was killed in her apartment after being stabbed over a hundred times after a

night out with some friends (Reyes, 2016). Police investigations and public information had led

to interest in Mr. Denney and the subsequent arrest and prosecution. Though the murder weapon

was never retrieved, the prosecution relied on DNA evidence to build their case against Mr.

Denney. This crime was believed to be a copycat of one earlier committed by the suspect’s 15-

year-old brother. After an examination of the evidence, Mr. Denney was sentenced to life in term

of imprisonment amidst his claims of innocence.

Evidence collection and analysis

Police investigators found no signs of struggle or forceful entry in Corey’s apartment with

the only disturbance having taken place in the bedroom. The investigators established that the

killer had accessed the victim’s apartment through an open window to attack Ms. Corey when

she was in bed. According to the autopsy results, the victim had been stabbed over 100 times and

also sustained numerous other cuts (ABC News, n.d). The autopsy also indicated that the killer

had taken some time with the body and even smeared their finger with the victim’s blood. The

crime scene report specifically noted that;

a. A female body was found on the bed crunched up back in the corner and covered in

blood.

b. The victim had been left naked with her legs spread open in a pool of blood.

ROBERT ERIK DENNEY MURDER CASE 3

c. The victim had gaping wounds on both sides of her neck and also had numerous stab

wounds.

d. Most of the wounds on the victim had been inflicted after her death implying the killer

had stayed back and “played with the victim.”

The case started with police taking into custody several suspects who included Corey’s

boyfriend. However, investigations ruled out the initial suspects leaving the police with a cold

case. After offering a $20,000 reward, more public members came forward with important

information that pointed the investigation in the right direction. Evidence collected by the police

pointed to Mr. Denney as the prime suspect in the murder. Locals and his colleagues reported

having noted strange behavior by the suspect (Pinkham, 2005). Denney was Corey’s neighbor

had also confessed of loving to watch a woman in his neighborhood. Another important piece of

evidence was a gold Zippo lighter that had been found near the victim’s body. The lighter was

identified to belong to the suspect by his ex-girlfriend. The victim’s boyfriend also testified to

have seen the lighter in her apartment.

Significance of evidence

The evidence presented in this case played a critical role in ensuring the state secured a

conviction for Mr. Denney. In fact, the case had been on the verge of collapse before neighbors

and colleagues of the suspect came forward with valuable information that helped investigators

in piecing together evidence that tied the case to Mr. Denney. The relationship between the style

of the murder and that done by the suspect’s brother showed an intricate understanding of such a

crime that would only be achieved by someone close or with a keen interest in the earlier crime.

In spite of police having Mr. Denney as a suspect, the police had been unable to tie him to the

crime as they required DNA evidence to match blood and hair found at the victim’s house. Mr.

ROBERT ERIK DENNEY MURDER CASE 4

Denney had been meticulous in ensuring investigators could not get any DNA samples and even

refused a voluntary request.

However, the suspect spat in a parking lot handing investigators the final piece to directly

connect him to the crime. As Burmeister (2001) reports, the saliva evidence collected by officers

who had been monitoring the suspect finally placed Mr. Denney inside the victim’s kitchen

matching to the hair and saliva evidence that had been gathered during the investigation. In the

arrest of the suspect, fingerprints, blood, hair, and semen samples – some still unidentified –

were relied upon to place him at the crime scene. The DNA evidence was the heart of the case

alongside a statement the killer had made to an undercover investigating officer in which he

never denied having been in Corey’s apartment. Among all the fingerprints found in the victim’s

apartment, Denney had been the only one who denied ever being there which further raised

suspicion on his intentions for being in the house.

Case analysis

The State of Florida vs. Robert Erik Denney (Murder) 1998, Jacksonville, FL case was a

long engagement that involved hundreds of witnesses for the prosecution and defense sides. The

prosecution side led by Assistant State Attorney Angela Corey built their case around the DNA

evidence, a lighter, statements and relationship to a convicted murderer to establish Mr.

Denney’s connection to the murder. While the prosecution that implied a sense of guilt in the

suspect’s refusal to give saliva a saliva sample, Circuit Judge Peter Dearing ruled that it would

not be considered as an admission of guilt or aired before the jury. The defense was tasked with

addressing how their client’s blood had gotten to the victim’s apartment which they could not

find a way. To dispel the attempts by the defense to bring other possible suspects into the fold,

the prosecution spent some significant time systematically eliminating other suspects of the case

ROBERT ERIK DENNEY MURDER CASE 5

to narrow down their focus on Mr. Denney. Many of the other suspects in the crime also reported

to have voluntary given the police hair and DNA samples to help with the investigation.

On the other hand, the defense team led by Assistant Public Defender Patrick

McGuinness argued for the suspect trying to create aspersions on the grounds on which Mr.

Denney had been placed as the prime suspect. They claimed that there was more than a handful

of people who would have had the motive to kill Corey. Further, the defense also held that the

police had received numerous other tips from the public on possible killers. McGuinness and his

team were quick to point out some inconsistencies in the witness reports citing a woman who had

given several versions of the story to the police. Conceding to the assertion of the prosecution

that “DNA does not lie”, the defense argued that the DNA only narrated part of the truth.

Additionally, the defense attempted to question the police department’s aptitude in handling

biological evidence claiming that it may have subjected the samples to compromise. However,

they were again unable to explain the presence of the suspect’s lighter in the victim’s apartment.

Media attention

The Corey Parker murder case was not accorded extensive mainstream media coverage

until its final stages. The lack of attention is attributable to the time difference between the year

when the crime was committed and the commencement of prosecution against the suspect.

However, there were blogs and web pages created to follow the case and offer proceedings

information to the public. Jacksonville, a subsidy of the Florida Times, was the leading local

media channel covering this case. A good share of information on the case is still available on

their website. While the media does play an important part informing the public and at times

complimenting the investigative work done by the police, the Corey Parker case appeared as a

straight win for the prosecution from the start and thus the reduced media attention.

ROBERT ERIK DENNEY MURDER CASE 6

In this case, concrete evidence brought forth by the prosecution aided in securing a life

sentence for Corey Parker’s killer. The police conducted a long and commendable investigation

into the murder eventually piecing together a hard case against the murderer. The suspect’s

defense attempts to poke holes in the evidence while never disputing the damning DNA evidence

were not fruitful in convincing the six-member jury of Mr. Denney’s innocence or creating

reasonable doubt on his involvement in the crime. Ultimately this case was rested by the

substantial evidence and exceptional investigative work by the police department. The

prosecution team also put in a decent shift to ensure the killer was sentenced in congruence with

the crime committed.

ROBERT ERIK DENNEY MURDER CASE 7

References

ABC News. (n.d, March 23). Public Spitting Links Man to Murder. Retrieved from

abcnews.go.com: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=93742

Burmeister, C. (2001, march 23). Parking Lot Saliva Brings Murder Arrest. Retrieved from

Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/tu-

online/stories/032301/met_5723710.html#.V_RBOqIm2Pc

Pinkham, P. (2005, April 19). Parker Slaying Jury Hears of her Fight to Live. Retrieved from

Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/tu-

online/stories/041905/met_18514888.shtml#.V_RBSqIm2Pc

Reyes, T. (2016, June 3). Corey Parker, Robert Denney: ‘Dateline’ NBC — College Coed’s

Stabbing Death By Alleged Copycat Killer In Jacksonville Beach, Florida, On Tonight.

Retrieved from inquisitr.com: http://www.inquisitr.com/3165368/corey-parker-robert-

denney-dateline-nbc-college-coeds-stabbing-death-by-alleged-copycat-killer-in-

jacksonville-beach-florida-on-tonight/

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."

State of Florida vs Robert Erik Denney

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

Ian McGregor

Shannon Williams